I paused momentarily. “How did you think to do that, by the way? How did you convince Minerva to transfer the energy to you?”
“I saw it in a dream. And then Ronald told me it’d be wise for me to consider the benefits of Minerva’s ‘gifts’ the last time we spoke. I told her what Ronald said, and she told me about you asking her to end my life if it came down to it, so we agreed to make it our plan of last resort.”
I thought back to my making her promise me she’d end Quinn’s life if need be and shuddered. I knew it couldn’t have been easy for her to do what she did.
“So, that was the big Ronald secret? That’s what you wouldn’t tell me?”
“Would you have agreed with the plan?”
“Not on your life!” I replied, stunned he would even ask the question.
“Exactly. And neither would have Dylan. So Minerva and I kept it our little secret.”
“Yeah, well just because you’re immortal now doesn’t mean you’re invincible, so no more stunts like that again without me knowing, got it?” I demanded.
“Got it,” he agreed. “What happened to the Key? And Mathius?”
“The Key was removed from your soul and tagged to a new one. And Mathius escaped. As far as I know, he has no good leads as to the identity of either human now carrying a Key.”
“So, he has to start from scratch again?”
“Yup. Apparently, his master plan for domination of the Realms has been reset.”
“But he’ll still keep trying.”
“Yeah, he’ll keep trying.”
“Then so will we,” Quinn stated. “There has to be away to stop him—permanently.” The deer in the headlights expression on his face was beginning to fade, and I saw a hint of a twinkle in his eyes.
“I think the Order is close to developing a plan. And when the time is right, I think I know just how to draw him out.”
“How?”
“I’ll explain it all to you later. After your training.”
“More training?” he moaned.
“Yup.” I grinned.
“Hey, if I’m a Shepherd, don’t I have all of the same superpowers as you?” he asked mischievously.
“You will, well, most of them anyway, once you train and learn how to use them.”
“And you’re in charge of teaching me the ropes?” I heard a hint of mockery in his voice.
“So what if I am?” I asked with raised eyebrows.
“Then I think I’m in big trouble.” He chuckled a little.
“If you think you’re in trouble with me as your mentor, just wait until you meet Eli.” I giggled.
“Why? Who’s Eli?” he asked nervously.
“You’ll find out soon enough.” I smiled wickedly.
I stood up and held out my hand again to Quinn. I could feel our souls reach out to each other, and my aura began to glow a little brighter. He was ready. Quinn slowly reached up took my hand. The instant we made contact our auras began to glow more intensely; they began to dance around each other. He smiled as he looked at our hands and then at me.
“Come on,” I said as I pulled him to his feet. “There are some Shepherds who are anxious to meet you.”
“Evie,” he said, tugging at my hand a bit just before I teleported us to the Archives.
“Yeah?”
“I love you.”
“And I love you,” I replied. “I always will—for eternity.”
“‘For eternity,’” he repeated, grinning as he bent down and kissed me.
The end.
Linda Lamberson is a Chicago-area native, an author, and a devoted mother and wife. After studying at Indiana University in Bloomington, she attended graduate school at The University of Chicago, where she received her Master’s degree in Social Service Administration and then her Juris Doctor degree, and worked as an intellectual property attorney.
In 2009, Linda was inspired to create the Evie Sanders series while on a flight home. A conversation with a neighboring passenger made Linda think about a car accident she’d been in while a freshman in college—an accident she was lucky enough to walk away from unscathed, much to the surprise and shock of witnesses. For the remainder of the flight she couldn’t shake the thought, “What if I hadn’t survived? Would that have been the end of my story?” That same night, Linda started writing.
Read Borrowed Heart and Peace of Mind, the first and second installments of the Evie Sanders series, available through all major re-sellers.
Visit Linda at: www.lindalamberson.com
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